“Why do they call you the Prigs?” asked Patty.
Gertrude laughed. “They think the name teases us,” she said; “but it doesn’t a bit. They call us Prigs because they think we’re stuck-up, and so we are. We’re the richest girls in the school and we belong to the best families. But that isn’t all; we have the best manners, and we’re never rude or awkward, and we’re always perfect in deportment, so we’re almost always on the Privileged Roll.”
“What’s the Privileged Roll?” asked Patty.
“Why, it’s a special Roll of Honour, and if your name’s on it you have a lot of little extra favours and privileges that the others don’t have. The Gigs, now, they never get on the Privileged Roll. They have a lot of fun, but I think it’s silly and babyish.”
“And the Digs?” asked Patty. “Are they on the Privileged Roll?”
“Not often,” said Gertrude; “they get perfect in their lessons, of course, but they’re so busy studying they are apt to forget their manners. Hilda Henderson is a Dig, but she has good manners because she’s English. English girls always do; they can’t seem to help it.”
“I like Hilda Henderson,” said Patty; “she seems to me an awfully nice girl.”
“Yes, she’s nice enough,” said Maude, carelessly; “but she’s rather heavy and not up to our ideas of fun.”
The class-bell rang just then and with a promise to think about joining Gertrude’s set, Patty left them.
After school she walked home with Lorraine. Adelaide had been detained and the two girls went home alone.